Improvement in ear-rings



W. A. L. MILLER. Ear-Ring.

No. 221,178. I Patented Nov. 4,1879.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WILLIAM A. L. MILLER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN EAR-RINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,178, dated November 4, 1879 application filed April 9, 1879.

of the hook-bar, spring, and hinge, by which a small retaining-bar can be used, all as hereinafter more fully described.

Referring to the drawings, A is the earring. I) is the hookbar, and 0 is the hinged rctaining bar. d is the spring which keeps the retainingbar closed.

Heretofore the retaining-bar has usually been made quite heavy and clumsy, for two reasons-first, to obtain the amount of weight necessary to keep the ear-rin g close up against the ear; and, secondly, to admit of the spring being attached to it. I attach the spring, however, to the back of the ear-rin g, where it will be out of the way, allowing its free end to extend down to the lower end of the ear-ring.

The retaining-bar c is hinged to the lower end of the ear-ring, and has a lug, e, on it, against which the free end of the spring presses when the bar is in its opened or closed position.

This arrangement of the spring is simple and better than the old way, because it is out of sight, is more easily applied, and can be made much stronger, and the retaining-bar can be made smaller and heater.

To provide the necessary weight to make the ear-rin g hang close to the ear, I form an eye, i, on the retainin g-bar at a short distance behind theear-ring, and in this eye I hang the pendantj, so that its weight will draw the ear-ring close up against the front of the car.

In Figure 2 the ear-wire is hinged to the upper end of the ear-ring, so that it can be thrown upward into a convenient position to be passed through the hole in the ear.

The spring cl is attached to the back of the ear-ring, as before stated, only its free end is at the top instead of at the bottom. In this case I employ a stationary bar, h, at the lower end of the ear-rin g, which projects to the rear far enough to allow the wire, when closed, to strike its outer end, which is made forked to receive it. The eye i for the pendantis formed on' this bar a short distance back of the can ring, as and for the purpose before described.

Fig. 3 shows an ear-ring with a stationary ear-wire, which bends downward, and a short clasp attached by a springhinge, as before described, at the lower end of the ear-ring. This clasp closes across the space between the lower end of the ear-rin g and the ear-wire, and has the eye i attached to or formed on it, as before described.

Fig. 3 represents an ear-ring, A, with a.

at a short distance behind the ear-ring, so

that their weight will be behind the point of suspension in the ear.

Under my improvement in ear-rings it will be seen that either the ear-wire or the retaining-bar may be hinged and used in connection with the flat spring d with like results.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

An earring, A, provided wit-h the rearwardly-projecting retaining-bar 0, having the pendant-eye t set back from the ear-ring, the

spring d, adapted to hold the bar 0 in position, and the hook-bar b, all constructed and combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

WILLIAM A. L. MILLER.

Witnesses:

W. F. CLARK, W. FLOYD DUGKETT; 

